JULY IS THE MONTH OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Dear parishioners, In this Sunday’s gospel, we have the account of Our Lord’s visit to the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany. I’m sure you know it well: Martha busied herself and made a fuss, but Mary sat at the Lord’s feet to listen to him. In church, we are in God’s house, the house of prayer, our spiritual home where Our Lord Jesus Christ visits us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where He is truly present, behind the veil, in the tabernacle. It is when we cross the threshold of the Church before mass that we should look to Mary of Bethany in order to enrich our experience of being in the presence of Christ. This may begin with quiet recollection before the mass begins. Then as the Mass proceeds we can leave our busy lives behind. In our lives, we often escape stress and difficulty by the noisy distraction of entertainment. In Church, we do not need distraction but peace. Such profane forms of art and music that have over the last few decades pervaded the liturgy in some places, do not belong in church but at the campfire, or dance-hall ceilidh, or rock concert or musical theatre. Render to God what belongs to God and to Caesar what belongs to Caesar! In our worship, this means leaving in the world what belongs in the world so that in church we have a sacred space in which the whole environment directs the attention to God and we hear His Word, assisted and elevated by the sacred music sung by the saints through the ages. Having put worldly distraction behind us, we too can be like Mary of Bethany and be ready to kneel before the Real Presence of the Lord at the altar of God in our church. In this way, with her, we choose the sacred over the profane and peace rather than busy-ness. With her we choose the better part: God in preference to the world. Following Mary of Bethany’s way, we make our participation in the mass our contemplation and adoration of The Lord, whether through our responses and singing, through our listening or during those precious periods of silence in the Sacred Liturgy. This approach to mass prepares the soul for the most intimate moment of all when we welcome God into the home of our bodies and souls, when in the truly humble and catholic way through our exterior visible actions, we give witness to the presence of Lord at Holy Communion and the interior peace and healing this brings to us. St Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians wrote, ‘ This is what I pray, kneeling before the Father…may he give you his Spirit so that Christ may live in you, so that you will have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth, until knowing the Love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God’. Filled with the fullness of God. Imagine that! We can only begin to contemplate it. But that’s what we are when we receive holy communion, ‘the perfection of the mass’, we become one with God, filled with him. How do we prepare ourselves to be filled with the utter fullness of God? What on earth can we do? In the end, as St Paul says, it is beyond all knowledge expressed by words. What we need, having confessed our sins, is that disposition of Mary of Bethany, and so find the same stillness in ourselves - kneeling before our God -in readiness to welcome Him into our bodies and souls.
Anniversary Mass. On Wednesday, I received an email from Susan White, daughter of Chris and Margaret Pond telling me it was their parents’ sixtieth wedding anniversary the next day. Chris tells me that he and Margaret courted through meeting in St Thomas More Parish Youth Club in 1957 before his two years National Service. Chris says ‘Sunday night meetings took place in the hall across the site that was our church before the new build, late ‘40s time I think). The rest of the site was allotments and my dad, Archie, rented one. Happy Days (though still so)’. The marriage of Chris and Margaret was witnessed by Fr Bell on 14th July 1962. They moved from Bexleyheath in 1973. They had 3 sons and 2 daughters. Susan says ‘They are the most wonderful parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, Our Lord has truly blessed our family in so many ways, their faith has remained steadfast and has been at the core of their life together’. We thank God for their witness to Christ and his Church in their sixty years of marriage. There is no better way to do this than by the sacrifice of the mass, which was offered for them on Thursday at both at St Thomas More and in East Grinstead where Chris and Margaret worship now; Holy mass transcending all time and space, bringing us Catholics together whenever or wherever we are. Deo Gratias.
MEETING YOUR PARISH PRIEST. Following the good reception of the invitation to speak about any matters concerning you in the life of the parish and the positive response to our conversations last week, the invitation is extended to the evening of Monday 1st August and/or Monday 8th August. Please come by yourself or with a fellow parishioner who worships here and talk with your parish priest and a pastoral councillor. Please call or email the parish priest to make the appointment, or speak with a member of the pastoral council.
VISITING THE SICK & HOUSEBOUND. ‘So vividly did St Camillus picture and honour the person of Christ in the sick that often when distributing food to them he thought of them as his ‘Christs’, and would beg of them grace and the remission of sins. Hence, he was as reverent before them as if he were really and truly in the presence of his Lord. Of nothing would he speak more frequently or fervently than of holy charity. He longed that it should take root in the heart of every man’ (from the ‘Life of St Camillus’ by a companion). Of your charity, please let the parish priest know if there is anyone housebound, sick and needing visiting. Visits cannot be made by the priest or arranged for another parishioner to visit, if it is not known who is sick and housebound, where they are and an appointment made.
DAY WITH MARY
1. Saturday 30th July 2022 from 11.00 a.m at St Anselm’s Church, Balham High Road, Tooting Bec SW17
2. Saturday 7th August 2022 from 12.10 p.m. meeting at the Friday Market in Walsingham and processing along the ‘Pilgrim’s Way’ to the National Shrine of England.
3. Saturday 13th Augsut 2022 from 9.30 a.m. at St.Saviour’s, Lewisham.
LONDON CARIBBEAN CATHOLIC CHAPLAINCY invites you to THE ALL LONDON CARRIBEAN PILGRIMAGE and MEMORIAL to FR CHARLES GAILLARD to AYLESFORD PRIORY on SUNDAY 31ST JULY 2022. SOLEMN MASS AT 12.00 noon. See notice board for details of coaches and contacts or pick up one of the flyers in the porch. THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY PILGRIMAGE FROM ELY TO WALSINGHAM. 25TH TO 28TH AUGUST. You are invited to join us for our annual pilgrimage to the Basilica shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Pilgrims arrive early on Thursday and after an early mass on Friday, begin the walk to Walsingham, arriving on Sunday. Family groups and individuals welcome. For more information & to register: www.lms.org.uk or call 020 7404 7284. ‘Children’s Liturgy’ This Sunday at the 9.00 a.m. Mass. FOOD BANK. Don’t forget the Food Bank collection crate in the Church Porch! People are not managing to afford the basic essentials of life. If you can contribute some long life milk, canned food, packets of pasta, toilet rolls or any other non-perishable basics, you will be helping our neighbours in great need. THURSDAY LUNCH CLUB will be meeting this Thursday 21st July, after which there will be no lunch club on Thursday 28th July, Thursday 4th August, Thursday 11th August and will resume on Thursday 18th August. Deaths
For all our brothers and sisters who ate the Body of Christ, the bread of Life, that they may be raised up on the Last Day. (Drawn from the intercession of the Funeral Mass)
Please pray for the souls of:
Robert Melville Cruikshank, aged 84, who died on Monday 6th June at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His funeral was on Tuesday 28th June. Margaret Heffernan whose funeral will take place on Thursday 20th July at 11.30 p.m. with reception in church on Wednesday 5.00 p.m. and committal at Eltham. Mario Pescatore, aged 89, who died on Friday 1st July 2022 and whose funeral will take place on Friday 19th August 2022 followed by committal at Eltham.
May the divine assistance remain with them always, and may their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. MASSES AND INTENTIONS FOR THE SIXTEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME. Instaurare Omnia in Christo: "to restore all things in Christ." Saturday 16th July Our Lady’s Saturday. TC 9.00 a.m. Confessions 9.30 a.m. Rosary + 10.00 a.m. [Latin 1962] Fatima Alava R.I.P. (NB No TLM on 23/7 or 30/7) + 6.30 p.m. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY. (C) Peter & Felicidade Fernandes, Victorio & Francisca Coelho R.I.P. Sunday 17th July 8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary + 9.00 a.m. SUNG. With ‘children’s liturgy’. Jim Allan R.I.P. + 11.00 a.m. SOLEMN LATIN MASS (with English Readings/ missa orbis factor). The people of the parish. 7.00 p.m. Parish Social Evening in the Hall. All welcome. Monday 18th July July Votive Mass of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. PLEASE NOTE EARLY TIMES. 7.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary + 8.00 a.m. Mason Russ T.G.
Tuesday 19th July feria The Daily Rosary at home. NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.
Wednesday 20th July St. Apollinaris, bishop & martyr.
Daily Rosary at home.
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.
2.30 p.m. End of term Benediction in School for children and staff.
5.00 p.m. Reception into Church of Mrs Margaret Heffernan R.I.P.
Thursday 21st July St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest & doctor of the church.
11.00 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+11.30 a.m. Funeral Requiem for Margaret Heffernan followed by committal at Woolwich Cemetery.
1.00 p.m. Thursday Lunch Club.
Friday 22nd July St. Mary Magdalene, feast.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Fr Patrick Logan R.I.P.
6.00 p.m. Choir Practice.
Saturday 23rd July Our Lady’s Saturday. TC
9.00 a.m. Baptism.
NO LATIN MASS THIS MORNING OR NEXT SATURDAY.
+ 11.00 a.m. Memorial Requiem for the late Michael McDonagh R.I.P. (Monday 11th July is his anniversary)
[+ 6.30 p.m. SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME Lloyd and Sharon D’Souza W.B.
JULY PRAYER: Act of consecration to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. To be said in church before the Blessed Sacrament, exposed or in the Tabernacle.
Blood of Jesus, inebriate me!
O Jesus, my Beloved Saviour,
ever present in the Tabernacle,
to be the strength,,
the joy and the food of souls,
I come to consecrate myself to your Precious Blood,
and to pledge you my sincere love and fidelity.
Pierced with sorrow at the remembrance of your sufferings,
the contemplation of the Cross,
and the thought of the outrages
and contempt lavished by ungrateful souls
upon your dear Blood,
I long, O my Jesus,
to bring joy to your Heart,
and to make you forget my sins,
and those of the whole world,
by consecrating my body and soul to your service.
I desire, my Jesus, to live henceforth,
only by your Blood and for your Blood.
I now choose It as my greatest treasure
and the dearest object of my love.
O merciful Redeemer,
deign to regard me as a perpetual adorer
of your Most Precious Blood,
and be pleased to accept my prayers,
my deeds and my sacrifices,
as so many acts of reparation and love.
Heavenly Wine,
giver of purity and strength,
pour down upon my soul.
Make of my heart a living chalice
from which grace shall constantly flow
on those that love you,
and especially on poor sinners that offend you,
Teach me to honour you,
and to make you honoured by others.
Give me power to draw to you cold and hardened hearts,
that they may feel how infinitely
your consolations surpass those of the world.
O Blood of my Crucified Saviour,
detach me from the world,
and the spirit of the world.
Make me love suffering and sacrifice,
after the example of St. Brigid,
who loved you so much.
O Precious Blood,
be my strength amid the trials and struggles of exile.
Grant that at the hour of death
I may be able to bless you
for having been the comfort
and the sanctification of my soul,
before becoming, in Heaven,
the everlasting object of my love and praise.
Saints of God,
who owe your happiness to the Blood of Jesus;
Angelic spirits,
who sing Its glory and power,
august Virgin,
who to It owes the privileges
of your Immaculate Conception
and Divine Maternity,
help me to pay to the Precious Blood of my Redeemer
a perpetual homage of adoration,
reparation and thanksgiving. Amen
Blessings to you all,
Fr Jonathon